[dropcap type =”circle”]N[/dropcap]orth Oxfordshire MP Victoria Prentis attended a women’s lunch organised jointly by members of the local Muslim and Christian community. The lunch, which took place at the Whately Hall Hotel, brought together over 40 women of all ages including members of both mosques and a range of Banbury churches.
Shameem Ramzan, from Park Road Mosque, attended the event. She said: “It was a great success. The room was alive with conversation all through the afternoon. The women of Banbury are clearly ready to make a change and build community cohesion.”
Emma Ives from St Leonard’s Church helped to organise the lunch. She said, “Particularly given all that is going on in the world, we wanted to get to know one another better and demonstrate how women of different faiths and cultures can promote peace and friendship. And what better way to unite than over a shared meal?”
Speaking afterwards, Victoria said: “I was really pleased to get along to the lunch and meet members of both the Muslim and Christian communities. Events like this are so important in encouraging interfaith and intercommunity relations. It also provided an opportunity for me to find out what issues the women are facing and would like to see more action on. I am already looking forward to the next lunch!”